


Starlit Night

by TeeQueenie (QueenPunk)



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Comfort, Family, Grief, Hurt, Written when less was known about other Clans and their bloodlines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-27
Updated: 2011-07-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22187836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenPunk/pseuds/TeeQueenie
Summary: Before their warrior ceremony, Blackpaw leads his two sisters to a secret place, one that may cause more hurt, anger and confusion, than enchantment and closure.





	Starlit Night

Blackpaw padded into the moonlit clearing, followed closely by his two sisters, Brightpaw and Nightpaw.

The moonlight glinted off of his white pelt, his yellow eyes glowing, giving him a ghostly look.

Glancing back at his littermates he hissed," Hurry up! You'll miss the surprise!"

Nightpaw glared at him and snapped," We'd walk faster if we were sure that this wasn't another one of your pranks."

Brightpaw glanced in between her two siblings and mewed," Could you two please quit fighting?"

Blackpaw flicked his tail, ignoring Nightpaw's jab. It wasn't his fault she didn't have a sense of humor. So what if he had poured honey in her fur, tricked her into thinking rabbit droppings were berries, made her believe that a badger was chasing her until she was all the way in Riverclan territory, and put thistles in her nest? Everyone else in the clan had thought it was funny.

He dashed into the middle of the clearing, laid down and rolled over, belly up. Brightpaw timidly followed her brother's lead, except she laid down on her belly and tilted her head up to the sky.

Nightpaw snarled," What in the name of Starclan are you doing?" Her black pelt blended into the night , only her pale amber eyes flashed through the darkness.

Blackpaw sighed in exasperation," Will you just come over here?"

Nightpaw stalked angrily over to her littermates, muttering under her breath," If this is another prank I swear to Starclan I will kill him."

Blackpaw rolled his eyes and whispered to Brightpaw," She acts worse than an elder during leaf-bare." Brightpaw struggled to stifle a giggle, earning a death glare from Nightpaw.

"Lie down," Blackpaw instructed, his gaze now fixed on the night sky.

Nightpaw sighed, laying down next to Brightpaw. She rolled over like her brother and stared at the sky. The minute she saw what was above her breath caught in her throat.

Above them, thousands of stars were lit up, as many of them as dew drops on the grass in the morning. The glittering sheen against the blue-black night sky made them stand out even more. Along the edge of her view the black outline of green leaf trees, she saw millions of fireflies flickering in the shadows. It looked like the ancestors were floating down from Silverpelt to rest in the trees.

Blackpaw murmured in an unusually solemn voice, "Archeye took me here a little bit before he died. He told me that fireflies were really past clan leaders coming down from Starclan to give guidance and advice. " Blackpaw's voice choked up as he talked about their father, who had died three moons ago." He…he told me that if..if I ever needed help that I should come out here…and listen for the whispers in the trees when the wind blows across them. Archeye said…that if I listened hard enough then I would hear them…"

Blackpaw turned over to his side, fresh grief filling his eyes with tears. Out of the three kits, Blackpaw had been the closest to their father, even though Archeye hadn't spent much time with any of his kits.

Nightpaw felt a mixture of grief and anger at her now-deceased father, who had ignored her since the day she was born. Their mother, Hollyflower, had told her it was because she was already successful at both hunting and fighting, but Nightpaw had seen the truth. Archeye had purposely ignored her and had always taken every chance to point out any flaws she had.

Brightpaw continued gazing up at the sky and wondered how she should feel about Archeye. To her, he had always been kind and helpful, even after their parents had split up. Though at the same time he had always been distant, more like a clanmate than her father.

Blackpaw closed his eyes and tilted his head upward as a sudden wind blew through the trees. He couldn't be sure but he could have sworn he heard a voice whisper faintly,

" I will always be here for you."


End file.
